Beginning in the early 1990s, Maria Schneider has emerged as the strongest modern-day baritone-centric big band arranger, offering nods to Ellington/Carney with both baritone features and arrangements with the bari on top. Throughout much of her career as a big band leader, Schneider's Carney has been multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, who according to his web site "has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton's band, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton's quintet, on alto clarinet with Paquito D'Rivera's clarinet quartet, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera."

He's actually recorded most often, though, and especially more recently, on baritone sax, and some of his finest playing can be heard on Maria Schneider's recordings. The delicate melody and radiant colors in Schneider's baritone feature "The Willow" make the bari sound as refined and mature as it ever has. For a musician so experienced and adept at playing multiple instruments, Robinson's improvisation here is filled with historical awareness and a distinct, tender personality.